Summer is sizzling and experts have been warning about heat domes and other temperature-related dangers. But what does that mean and why so much concern?
It’s a simple but largely unrecognized fact that heat kills more people than any other weather feature — no competitor comes close. And while those most at risk are children, older adults, pregnant women and sick or overweight individuals, according to Ready.gov, anyone can fall victim to high temperatures.
To understand the lethal power of extreme heat, one need only consider the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia just days ago, where an estimated 1,300 people died in record-breaking temperatures.
In the Intermountain West, the Phoenix area has six confirmed heat deaths already this summer and is investigating nearly 90. Two people died of heat-related causes in Idaho, typically considerably cooler than many U.S. states.
Read more about your susceptibility to heat and how to protect yourself as temperatures rise across the nation this summer.
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